


The Princess and her Knight

by NightsMistress



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, support style conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 11:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/899999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightsMistress/pseuds/NightsMistress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young historian has discovered a contemporaneous account of the War that indicates that Lucina, the young Exalted princess from a doomed future, had formed a close relationship with the daughter of one of the greatest pegasus knights that Ylisse had seen.   This is that account.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Princess and her Knight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miss_Prince](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Prince/gifts).



> I too was extremely disappointed that Severa and Lucina could not support one another, and that there were no S level supports for same sex couples! I hope this addresses that itch, at least a little.
> 
> Thank you to sleepfighter, who made this suck a hell of a lot less than it did. You're my hero ♥

**C Level support**

After the most recent battle, Lucina went to look for Severa, who she had partnered up with in order to defeat the commander of the latest army they had fought. She finally found her in the armory tent, sharpening the edge of her sword with a whetstone.

“Hello, Severa,” Lucina said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to talk.”

“For _you_ maybe,” Severa said. Her work with the whetstone done, she put it into her bag, stood up and tested the balance of the sword. “For _me_ it’s only been a few weeks.”

“Still, it’s good to see you again,” Lucina said. "I've missed our talks about what we'll do once there's peace."

"I thought you weren't paying attention," Severa said, her eyebrows raising.

"What? Why?"

"Gods know you don't pay attention to me when I try to help you with your daily routine." Severa sounded aggrieved. She sheathed the sword. "Unless you're finally realizing what everyone already knows about your clothes. Then I guess you're not completely hopeless."

"What I wear? It's what Marth wore."

"I don't mean that! That's fine, you can keep wearing that," Severa said, blushing a little. She scowled. "It's the rest of the time. We could use your dresses as weapons against the Risen!"

"My tastes are different to yours," Lucina said. While she had been aiming to sound calm and collected, she promptly ruined it by sighing afterward.

"What?" Severa said. "What's that sigh about?"

“Mother,” Lucina said. “I wanted to buy a dress for her that she liked, but it didn’t suit her tastes.”

“ _Nothing_ you buy suits anyone’s tastes,” Severa said, her tone acidic.

Normally Lucina would have a rejoinder to her, but today she didn’t.

“Fine,” Severa said, her expression a strange mixture of scowling and smiling. Somehow it worked for her. “Let’s go back to my tent and I’ll _show_ you what to look for in a dress.”

A few minutes later, Lucina surveyed the dresses that Severa had in her tent.

“Did you buy all of these here?” she said at last.

“Yeah,” Severa said. “It’s not like I had them with me while we were fighting for our lives.”

“But there’s so many...”

Severa snorted. “ _Some_ of us use our coin to buy dresses and cosmetics.” She bent in close to Lucina, examining her face. “You could use a good moisturizer,” she said finally, leaning back.

“Severa, I don’t have time for anything like that.”

“It’s at most five minutes of your day. You can do it while waiting for your bathwater!” Severa emphasised her point by fishing out a jar of ointment from one of her boxes and shoving it into Lucina’s hands. “In ten years time you’ll be crawling over broken glass to _thank_ me.”

Lucina stared with some bemusement at the jar in her hands. The label pronounced that it would make its user look ten years younger in seven days. “This is clearly hyperbole,” she said after a minute, and Severa groaned.

“It’s _advertising_ , Lucina. You’re not meant to take it _literally_ ,” Severa said, her voice sharp with irritation. “Just use it twice a day and you’ll see the results.”

Lucina, sensing a losing battle, put the jar into one of her travel pouches.

“See? That wasn’t so hard.” Despite Severa’s curt words, when Lucina looked up from lacing up her pouch, Severa was smiling. “Now, let’s start with a dress for _you_.”

“What? Why?” Lucina blurted out. “I thought you liked what I was wearing.”

“I never said that!” Severa said quickly, her face blushing again as she scowled furiously. “But you’re right in front of me so I can see what colors and styles would work better for you. Your mother _isn’t_.” She folded her arms and glared at Lucina, for what Lucina was not entirely certain of. “Now hurry up and choose something!”

Lucina carefully looked through the rack of dresses that Severa had made with three javelin shafts, realising very quickly that Severa’s tastes were far more severe than her own and tended towards wearing only one or two colors. She stopped at one, a tri-color dress that shaded between blue, indigo and purple from its fitted bust to its wide skirts.

“I like this, but in yellow, red and blue?”

Severa stared at her like she was mad. “Because that’s _hideous_. I don’t even know why I have that dress, it’s daddy’s fault anyway. I should have supervised him better.”

“Your father?” Lucina said raising her eyebrows.

“Daddy and I went clothes shopping yesterday,” Severa said. “I have to train him so that baby Severa won’t have to.”

Lucina had to smile at this. “Have you spoken to your mother yet?”

Severa’s happy expression shifted to something that could strip paint. “No. Why would I? Why would I waste her time?”

“She watches over you when we fight,” Lucina said. “I’ve noticed that she takes risks she normally wouldn’t if it means that you are safe.”

“So what?” Severa said. “That doesn’t _mean_ anything.” Her scowl darkened and her blush was more pronounced. “Besides, I don’t need your help! Why don’t you just butt out?”

“I’m sorry,” Lucina said. She sighed. “I know that the last two years have been strange for me. Seeing Mother and Father only a little older than me makes me realize how young they must have been when they died. I want to know them better but …”

“But they’re not _our_ parents,” Severa said. “They’re the parents of the Lucina and Severa of _this_ time.” Something in her voice sounded unspeakably sad to Lucina, and she studied Severa’s face carefully.

“I wish I knew what things my parents enjoy,” Lucina said finally. “Or, rather, the people who could have been our parents, had we not travelled back with Naga’s aid."

“I don’t know either,” Severa said quietly. Then, louder, “Let’s not bother with dresses today. Just use the moisturizer and in a few weeks _then_ we’ll talk about improving your fashion sense.”

Lucina, knowing a dismissal when she heard one, took her leave.

**B level support**

This time, it was Severa seeking out Lucina and finding her in the armory.

“She keeps following me!” Severa announced with some irritation, flopping onto a nearby stool. Lucina, who was wrapping the hilt on her spare sword, blinked up at her for a minute before working out who ‘she’ might be.

“I know,” she said finally. “I told you before that your mother watches over you.”

“I don’t want it,” Severa said. “I know I’m not _perfect_ like _she_ is, but I can take care of myself!”

Lucina swung her sword in a few practice moves before putting it aside. “I don’t believe that she doubts that,” she said finally.

“What would _you_ know?” was Severa’s peevish retort. “Everyone in your family is perfect.” After a moment’s thought, she amended that with “Except Owain.”

“Owain is … _colorful_ , but...” Lucina paused, uncertain of what she wanted to say next. “I always feel like I’m lost when I talk to my parents. I don’t know what I need to do to please them, because all of my memories of them are from when I was very small, but … I want them to be proud of me regardless. Is that how it is for you?”

Severa said nothing for a minute, gazing at anywhere but Lucina. “I don’t _want_ that,” she said finally. “I don’t want her in my life, because she’ll --”

“She’ll what?”

Severa scowled. “She’ll _leave_. They _all_ left. And this time it won’t be because she died it’ll be because I’m not good enough!” She glared at Lucina, daring her to comment on the tears on her face.

“You aren’t the only one who thinks that their parents would be ashamed of them,” Lucina said instead, carefully. “While I know that they’d never say it, I too wonder whether my parents look at me as an example of the woman they do not wish their daughter to grow up to be.”

“What?” Severa breathed. “You think that?”

Lucina bit her lip. “I do not have the qualities that a good Exalt needs.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Severa cut in. “Don’t you remember? We didn’t follow a baby into the past. We followed you. We’d follow you anywhere!”

“That’s because our cause is just,” Lucina said, uncertain.

Severa waved a hand in dismissal. “Do you really think that if anyone else had suggested ‘Let’s beg Naga to send us to the past to change our future’ we’d believe them? Think it was _possible_? We believed in _you_. And that’s the person I’d want as _my_ Exalt.”

Lucina stared at her for a moment, before blinking.

“Then,” she said finally. “To speak truthfully, I don’t understand why you believe your mother finds you inadequate. You fought for a peace you never knew, because it was the right thing to do. You’ve protected me through countless battles, blocked spear and sword, and shielded me from spells. If I am here to lead, it is because you protected me every step of the way. I just wish that I could protect you from your own doubts.”

It was Severa’s turn to stare at Lucina, open mouthed, until her eyes filled with tears.

“I don’t want your pity,” she said finally.

“It’s not pity.”

“Then what is it?”

“Admiration.”

Severa’s expression was a mixture of wariness, embarrassment, and hope.

“I admire you, Severa. I value our friendship, and I appreciate how you will always protect me. You have many admirable qualities, and I’m _certain_ your mother sees them as we do. That’s why she spends so much time watching over you. It’s not because she lacks faith in you, it’s because you’re her hope.”

“You don’t know that,” Severa said, but it lacked the hot hostility it normally would have.

“I do.”

Severa looked at her, quivering, for a minute before racing out of the armory tent.

“Severa, wait!” Lucina raced after her. As children Severa had always managed to outrun Lucina, but she had endurance on her side, while Severa was always better over short distances. She caught up with her not far outside the camp confines and caught her wrist.

“Let me go!” Severa snapped, but made no effort to shake herself free of Lucina’s grasp. Lucina let got of Severa’s wrist, and Severa stood there, red faced with miserable fury.

“I just want to be strong enough to protect them,” Severa said finally. She was looking everywhere except at Lucina.

“You are strong,” Lucina said.

“It’s not enough,” Severa said. “I want to be strong like you.”

“You _are_ ,” Lucina said.

“You always beat me when we spar,” Severa said, frowning.

“That’s not the strength I mean,” Lucina said. “Strength of arms is just one thing an army needs. I couldn’t imagine fighting without you by my side, protecting me. You’re faster than I am.”

“So what?” Severa said. “I still want to be _better_.”

An idea dawned on Lucina. “The light’s too poor now, but later on, after our battle tomorrow, you and I should spar again.”

“Why, so you can beat me?”

“No,” Lucina said.

“Then what?”

“So I can show you how much you’ve improved.”

Severa studied her for a minute. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll indulge you this once.”

“All right,” Lucina said, returning her dubious expression with a fierce grin. “I’ll show you that you are brave and strong enough to protect your loved ones.”

Severa made a face. “You’re such a nerd,” she said. “Next you and Cynthia will go off and talk about smiting things for justice together.”

“I believe that’s what she and Owain are doing, along with Morgan,” Lucina said.

“Gods, that’s terrible,” Severa said. “We’re going to have to spend the rest of our lives cleaning up all the mayhem they leave behind them.”

“Do you want to do that?” Lucina said.

Severa shot her a glare through her hair. “Let’s just focus on the sparring first.”

**A level support**

It was a few days before their sparring session could take place, because Severa was adamant that it take place in private so that her mother couldn’t see her be beaten ignobly, and Lucina didn’t want anyone to be distracted from any Risen army attack. Eventually they found the safest place to spar - a clearing not far from the camp but screened from prying eyes by heavy scrub - and they sparred.

“Are you mocking me?” Severa said as her sword tested Lucina’s defences. She didn’t find any gaps, but kept trying. “You know I can’t beat you.”

“I think you underestimate yourself!” Lucina said, Falchion parrying Severa’s assaults neatly, but not attacking yet. “I’m barely able to keep up!”

“Hah!” Severa barked. “Yeah, right! If you couldn’t keep up, you couldn’t talk!” She had to shift to the defensive then, as Lucina took her opportunity to strike, parrying Lucina’s blade less neatly but with a lot more aggression behind it.

“I could say the same!” Lucina said. Satisfied as to the flaws in Severa’s defence at chest height, she began to test her defences overhead.

“Wipe that smile off!” Severa said, swinging her sword to block Lucina’s strike. Lucina repeated the assault, but Severa’s stance and sword grip held firm.

Lucina kept testing Severa’s guard for weaknesses during their half-hour sparring session. Though her attacks came quickly, Severa had developed into a very accomplished swordswoman, and Lucina found it difficult at first to pierce her defences. As their spar went on, Severa made mistakes out of exhaustion, but Lucina became painfully aware that she too, was making mistakes. When they finished, panting, Lucina had a shallow cut down the length of her arm from where Severa scored first blood against her, while Severa had a cut across her right cheek from where Lucina returned the favor.

“Had enough?” Severa said with a smirk. She didn’t sheathe her sword, but did let her guard drop, her sword hand falling to her side.

Lucina cocked her head, her spare hand raised to silence Severa. Now that it was quiet, they could hear the moan of Risen coming towards the camp, getting closer all the time. Apparently these Risen were not afraid of two sparring warriors.

“Gods!” Severa exclaimed, going pale and bringing her sword back up into a guard position. “Most of the army’s resting from the battle!”

Lucina’s face was set and her sword was also ready. “You know what we have to do.”

“You’re not too tired, are you?” Severa asked. The threat of the Risen stripped Severa of her usual attitude, leaving soft fear in its place Lucina answered by adjusting her grip on her sword.

“With you by my side, it’ll be fine.” She smiled at Severa then, to reassure her.

“Way to put the pressure on,” Severa groused, before the Risen attacked.

Whenever a sword looked likely to strike Severa, Lucina’s Falchion was there to block the blow. When spells were cast, Severa ensured that Lucina was out of its path. They blocked arrows aimed for the other, their swords testing the defences of the Risen, before they went on the offensive, wiping out the six Risen before they had a chance to get close to the camp.

“I told you you were strong,” Lucina said after the battle was over, wiping Falchion’s blade clean of ichor.

“They were weak,” Severa said, doing the same with her blade. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“A few years ago, we would have struggled with them,” Lucina said. She checked the battlefield one last time for any survivors before sheathing her sword. “Now, the two of us can fight them off together.”

Severa smiled at Lucina. “It’s because you’re with me.”

“And because you’re with me,” Lucina returned, smiling.

As they walked back into camp, Lucina was silent.

“What are you thinking about?” Severa said finally, glancing over at Lucina. Lucina thought about dissembling, but decided against it.

“What I’m going to do when the war is over,” Lucina said. “I can’t stay in Ylisse. I won’t interfere with the succession.”

“That’s it?” Severa said. She sounded aggrieved. “The war ends and then you’ll just … disappear?”

“I have to,” Lucina said simply. “I’ll keep myself safe, but I can’t repay everyone in this time for their help by wrongfully claiming the Halidom.”

“But...” Severa said. She trailed off, her shoulders slumping as she realized that this was an argument that she could not win. None of them had thought about things like that when they had decided to travel to the past, none except Lucina.

“Do you know what you plan to do?” Lucina said.

Severa sighed. It was an oddly sharp, yet despairing sound. “Not hang around mother, that’s for sure. There’s a lot of brigands still in Ylisse and the Shepherds can’t be everywhere. I can do that and make my own name, without being just Cordelia’s daughter.”

“If we run into one another,” Lucina said. “We should team up again. I’d like that a lot.”

Severa frowned, but didn’t say anything more until they were fully inside the camp confines.

“Have you told the others?”

“Not yet,” Lucina said, frowning slightly. “I just thought that you should be the first to know. You’ve always been by my side, and it will be strange to be parted from you.”

The two of them parted, feeling vaguely dissatisfied.

**S level support**

It was the night before they were set to attack Grima’s army, and Chrom had ordered the army to take whatever rest they could before the battle tomorrow. Lucina, still anxious about the outcome of tomorrow’s battle, had requested that she be on the night watch. As it would turn out, Severa was also on the same watch as Lucina. Some might blame fate, but Lucina suspected the involvement of a certain tactician. She wasn’t sure whether to thank Robin or not.

Their shift was awkward. Lucina was focusing on the surrounding territory for stray Risen, but even she could notice that Severa’s silence was not due to intently watching the forest. It was a blessing when Kellan and Stahl came to relieve them, even if at first Lucina had made the mistake of thinking that Stahl was on his own.

She had resolved to talk to Severa after their shift was over, but Severa immediately headed away from her.

“Severa!” Lucina called, her voice carrying in the dark.

“What?” Severa snapped, turning around.

“Come back with me?”

Severa looked for a moment like she was about to ignore Lucina and run away, before sighing like a martyr. She followed Lucina a half step behind all the way to Lucina’s tent, and remained standing after Lucina suggested that she sit down. Lucina, choosing her battle, started to pack up what possessions she could for the battle tomorrow.

“So you’ve decided,” Severa said, picking up a book on tactics that Lucina had on her field desk. “You’re really going away after we defeat Grima.”

Lucina paused in packing up her possessions in her tent. “Yes,” she said finally. “Though I know Mother and Father would save a space for me in their home, it’s not my home. I think it’s nearly time for me to search for my own home.”

“But …” Severa said, her expression open and painfully vulnerable for a second, before she scowled. “You said you wouldn’t leave me!”

“I want you to come with me,” Lucina said. “I know that your parents would save a space for you in their lives too, but I know too that you want to find your own home.”

“You trust me?”

“I trust you with everything,” Lucina said. “My dreams, my fears, my hopes for the future. I cannot imagine living in this time without you beside me. Come with me, please.”

“Oh, all right,” Severa said. “I was only going to go off and fight brigands anyway. I might as well travel with the Exalt-in-exile.”

“I’m not the Exalt,” Lucina said.

“You’re my Exalt,” Severa said. “In our timeline, the only reason you weren’t the Exalt in name was because you refused. We’ve always thought of you as our Exalt. Just because our future doesn’t exist anymore doesn’t mean that you won’t be our Exalt.”

“Then you’re my Pegasus Knight.”

“I can’t even _ride_ a pegasus,” Severa said, startled.

“But you could,” Lucina said, with a smile.

Severa looked at her for a minute, this time without the often present scowl when someone complimented her, before sighing. “ _Fine_. I’ll learn to ride a pegasus for you.” She smiled then and winked. “You can’t have an Exalt without her pegasus knight guard.”

“So you’ll come with me?”

“Of course! It’s been horrible living in my mother’s shadow. I wouldn’t want baby Severa to grow up in _mine_.”

“Then I suppose you should have this,” Lucina said, reaching into her pocket to pull out a ring. Severa stared at it, lips parted and eyes wide.

“It’s a ring,” she said finally.

“Yes,” Lucina said. “If you will, I want to marry you.”

“But...”

Lucina knew what Severa was not saying and she dismissed it by shaking her head.

“We’re in a world now where the blood of Naga is alive and well. I think it’s time, in this new future we create for ourselves, that we make our own rules about what we want. And who we want.”

Severa smiled. It lit up her face brilliantly. “Yes.”

“Then when this coming battle is over, we’ll ask Brady to marry us.”

“You think we’ll live to defeat Grima?”

“I think we will,” Lucina said. She took Severa’s hand and pressed the ring into the palm. “There’s too much I want to do that I won’t let Grima take it away.”

“Yes,” Severa said. She took a breath and let it out shakily. “I never thought you’d notice me. You’re _you_ , you’re brave and kind and strong, and I always thought that you only talked to me because of what my parents did to help your parents. I never thought you could love me for _me_.”

“I do,” Lucina said.

“I know.” Severa’s smile was brilliant, even with the tears welling in her eyes. “I know. You believed in me. Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you,” Lucina said. “We’ve accomplished great things together and I know that once we decide what it is we want to do with our lives, we’ll accomplish great things there too.”

“Even if you never use the moisturizing cream I gave you,” Severa said, picking up the jar of cream that she had given Lucina earlier. Lucina noted with a pang of guilt that the seal was still on it.

“I’m just not very good at these things,” Lucina said with a sigh.

“You’ll have to learn,” Severa said, handing Lucina her hairbrush. She made a face as Lucina moved to put it into her pack. “No, stupid. I want you to braid my hair for me, otherwise I’m going to wake up with it half eaten.”

The braid that Lucina did for Severa was not very good. It was uneven and Lucina tangled the strands of hair. Severa’s hair the next morning was a tangle of knots that took Lucina a solid hour to brush out, and Severa insisted on doing her pony tails herself.

“You’ll do better next time,” Severa said, strapping on her sword.

“I suppose I’d better,” Lucina said. “Once we defeat Grima, I’ll work on mastering hairdressing.”

Their preparations complete, they prepared for the battle of their lives.

**Epilogue text**  
 _Lucina and her wife travelled the world, lending their aid to the weak and oppressed. Though Severa often complained about how these altruistic acts meant that they never got paid and this meant that she couldn’t buy the cosmetics that she was adamant that Lucina needed, their reputation of Ylisse’s avenging angels meant that both of them were able to right injustices and that was far more important to them than any fortune._


End file.
